Have a GRAND Summer! May 29, 2009

They are both clearly etched in my mind as if I was still a little girl.  Nannie and Granny were two of my favorite people.  I loved the way they looked, smelled, cooked, laughed and made me feel so loved.  I remember running my fingers over their wrinkles and asking Granny where “they” came from.  (I certainly know now!!)  I didn’t know my grandfathers, but my grandmothers were precious to me.  They still are even though they’ve been gone for decades.

Grandparent-grandchild relationships are truly special.  Perhaps you’re a grandmother who visits our little blog.  Or a mom whose children have one or more grandparents who provide the roots of your family tree.  Whether “grands” live nearby or across the country — Christians who share our values or unbelievers — keeping that tie is usually very important!  Here are some ideas for grandmothers and mothers to keep “grands” in touch over the summer.

Grandmothers:

• Offer to babysit so Mommy and Daddy can have a night out; and bring their favorite treats or maybe rent a movie (check with their parents first on this one…smile).
• Build a “fort” under the dining room table with pillows for “sleeping”, snacks and a book to read.
• Play dogs and use raisins or fish crackers and apple juice in bowls on the floor as the doggies food and water.  (Yes, get on all 4′s and lap it up with them!)
• Bake cookies together and enjoy warm ones with a glass of cold milk while others are baking.
• Call them just to ask how their day is going — whether near or far, grandkids love to get phone calls!
• Email them an ecard: there are lots of fun interactive ones at places like www.hallmark.com or www.happydaycards.com.
• Kids love getting mail!  Send them a card, note, McDonald’s gift card, simple gift….the sky is the limit!  (Again, even if you live closeby this can still be fun.)

Moms, help your kids to:

• Make pictures and send them in the mail.  Most grandparents LOVE refrigerator pics.
• Take some “grand” pictures with the kids doing different activities and with varying expressions (including goofy ones) to mail or email.
• Make a video of the kids telling stories, talking about their trip to the zoo or just greeting the grandparents.  You can even post this on utube if your parents use computers.
• Call and let Grandma and Grandpa hear their little voices.  I know how much this means to grandparents who live out of town — I’ve heard they LIVE for those moments!
• Train your children to warmly and affectionately greet their grandparents.  (Whether in person or just over the phone.)  Some children do this naturally while others need training.  Whether they see their grandparents regularly, occasionally or rarely, this is a simple way to honor their role in your children’s lives.
• Include grandparents in special events with a call or email:  getting or losing a tooth; riding a two-wheeler for the first time; sounding out the first word they read all by their self; crawling or walking; etc.

Perhaps you don’t have a close relationship with your or your kids “grands.”  If not, I’m thinking this must be challenging for you.  These kinds of little things can actually help to build a better relationship one little step at a time.

Whether you are close (relationally or geographically) or not, make this summer GRAND for your family!

Posted by Kayla, Wyatt, Annie, Danae, JJ, Elsie, Sam, Issac and “coming soon’s” Granma

Next Door Grandma September 21, 2007

My children had plenty of grandparents to love, both nearby and at a distance, but God gave my children another special gift.  Her name was Mrs. Schrum, and she lived next door to us for twelve years.  She was there as each of my children were born and couldn’t wait to come over and hug them and admire the newest addition to our growing family. 

My children loved walking over to her house to ring her doorbell because they knew that cookies and Sprite would be waiting for them.  She would sit them on her bar stools and listen as they told her about what was happening in their little worlds.  She didn’t drive, so each week she would go with my children and me to the grocery store.  We would part ways once inside, but every time my children saw her round the corner they would smile and wave.  Sometimes she would let one of them ride in her shopping cart in order to give me a much needed break. 

She loved gardening, spring cleaning her house and hanging her sheets out on the line to dry.  She would come over on summer afternoons and talk with me while my children played in their kiddie pool.  Ours was a special friendship, and I miss those days of sharing the joys of motherhood with this godly woman.  She lived her life simply and sacrificially, and my children found in her the love of an adopted grandmother.

So if your children are lacking a grandmother of their very own, maybe there’s one you can adopt.  Who knows?  She might just live next door!

Posted by Debi

Fishin’ Buddies September 20, 2007

Grandparents have always been important in my life.  I have the privilege of having all 4 of my grandparents still living.  Each set of grandparents has been married over 50 years and have served the Lord longer than that!  Even though we don’t get to see them often, and they live over 900 miles away, my children have grown to LOVE their great-grandparents!

Often, my oldest will just say (out of the blue), "Mom, I miss Granddad and Grandma and Mamaw and Papaw!"  I try to take that opportunity to just respond by allowing them to make a phone call on my cell phone (which the boys get excited about)!  My Grandparents LOVE getting a mid-day call from the boys or a message on their machine.  It has been a way to encourage that bond to continue to grow.

One of the neatest memories my boys have is going fishing with Granddad Gilland.  My Granddad loves to fish!  I grew up fishing in his lake and now my boys get to do the same thing!  Granddad helped Caleb catch his first fish and refers to him as his "Fishin’ Buddy."  That created a link that spanned the generations.  We are planning a visit at Christmas-time and already my children are buzzing with excitement about seeing all the Great-Grandparents!

I hope that my children are able to learn from my grandparents and that they are encouraged by generations of family members that have loved and served God.  What a treasure!

Posted by Stephanie

The Faith of a Child September 19, 2007

Neither of my parents are Christians.  I have and continue to share the Gospel with them in numerous ways, pray for them and cry out to God for their souls.  And God, in all His mercy and kindness has given me someone to share the burden with me for the salvation of my parents-my son. 

Even before Matthew became a Christian, the Lord gave him a burden for the souls of his grandparents.  He would pray for them and many times be brought to tears by thoughts of their eternal future.  These thoughts continued during the years and would come up at random times.  Yet the most amazing and provoking thing happened at the time of his conversion.

How can you describe the time when you pray with your child to receive Christ, what could be more of an honor and privilege?  Well, we had just finished praying with him and suddenly he burst into tears.  And I mean he was sobbing.  When we could finally calm him enough to understand what was wrong, he began to explain.  The realization of his salvation only made more real to him the truth about his grandparents.  He just could not bear the thought of them going to hell, and he was willing to sacrifice his own salvation (not that it is possible) for the sake of theirs.  Only God could do that in a child’s heart, only our Savior could  give him such a vision and concern for the only thing which really matters. 

I have long believed that the Lord was going to use my son to bring my parents to Him.  That experience only confirmed that thought for me.  Many times I doubt and wonder, but He continues to use the faith of a child to increase my faith.  So, don’t be afraid to share with your children the true state of the souls of their grandparents.  You never know how He is going to use that and what a tremendous blessing it will be for all.

Posted by Elyse

Nurturing a love for Grandparents 600 (or more) miles away September 13, 2007

Sometimes it can be a challenge to nurture a relationship with grandparents who live out of town.  It takes a little bit more effort perhaps, but the rewards are ever so sweet!  Here are some practical suggestions to help both grandparents and grandchildren alike be a part of each other’s lives even when they are miles away.

• Have the kids make a fun list of things to do for when their grandparents visit.

• Have your child dictate a letter for you to mail to their grandparents, word for word. 

• Call randomly during the week just to say hi.

• Use email or blogs to send updates, pictures, or fun videos. 

• Have your kids help you pick out a few fun e-cards to send.

• Share the big milestones, but just as important, share the little ones too: the trips to the dentist, the huge castle they built with their Lego’s, etc.

• Every once in a while, look at photo albums to refresh your children’s memory of different family members or different things you have done with Grandpa and Grandma.

• Talk and get excited about an upcoming visit, countdown the days until they arrive.

• Draw pictures to mail showing something fun you did over the weekend.

• Ask your parents to tell stories about you or your husband when you were younger to your children. (Trust me they will be more than happy to share all the childish things you did when you were younger!)

Posted by Taraleigh

Take Time To Listen September 12, 2007

I am a granddaughter, daughter, mom and now a brand new grandmother of two adorable 3-month-old granddaughters. God has been good to me. His faithfulness through the generations can be seen in His Word. God is constantly at work in the lives of His people, transforming them into who He desires them to be – more like Christ. And He has been at work in the lives of my family members. I am more aware of this as I have spent the past five years reflecting on and researching the generations that have gone before me through the book I am writing about the life of my grandmother.

As I held my granddaughter recently I was acutely aware of the value of that moment: she will live to see a time that I will never see. I prayed for her little life that God would reveal Himself to her and that she would live her life loving and serving Him above all else. God revealed to me that my life is an answer to prayers that my grandmother and mother prayed for me when I was this small. Now I am living in a time that my grandmother never lived to see, yet God has faithfully answered her prayers.

Being the youngest of her grandchildren, I was only 19 years old when she passed away at 90. How often I have wished that I had had more time with her. What a privilege it would be to sit and ask her questions about her own life. She was saved after her third child died at the age of seven. This was following the deaths of her first two children before the age of three! What sorrows she faced, yet I remember her as a happy, kind and gentle woman. This was the transforming power the Gospel had on her heart. It is the same power that is at work in me! 

For those of you who don’t have godly mothers to grandmother your children, realize that you are like my grandmother; you are the first leg of faith in the lineage of your family. This is no small thing! You are establishing a foundation of faith that your children and their children will stand upon. You may never live to see what their eyes see, but your faith can carry them through because our prayers are continually before the Throne of God.

(Here is an excellent tool to use in getting to know your parents and/or grandparents better.  It’s called A Grandparent Interview and offers great questions that will get you started.) 

Posted by Debi

Four generations September 11, 2007

A couple of weeks ago we went out to dinner to celebrate my Grandmother’s 94th birthday.  To see her pure joy at just being with four generations of her family is a memory I will always cherish.  I am fortunate to still have my grandmother and thankfully a little over a year ago we were able to move her from South Florida to Orlando to be closer to us.  She is still very aware of what is going on and her greatest joy is to be with my children, her great-grandchildren. 

The opportunities for my children to reach out to her — even in the unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable circumstance of a nursing home — are numerous.  They don’t remember their Nana any other way.  If you have ever been in a nursing home, you know how excited the residents are at the sight of any child.  This has been the perfect opportunity to teach them how much just a little kindness on their part can mean to other people.  But mostly though, they see how much they mean to their grandmother and how easy it is to add joy into her life.  We try to pray for her together on a regular basis, so they are thinking of her and her needs.  She is now a part of their life in a way she never was before when she lived farther away. 

I do not know how long we will have her with us.  But I do know that we are making memories which will last for lifetimes.  My children are learning what it means to care for and serve those who came before us.  They are learning about the value of life and what it means to be family.  I believe they will always remember my grandmother and the love she has for them.  I trust they will be thankful for the love they have been able to share with her.  Evermore, we are all eternally grateful for this last opportunity to share the Gospel with her in all kinds of ways and have faith for her salvation.

Posted by Elyse